Emoji response display method and apparatus, terminal device, and server

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides a method and an apparatus for displaying an emoji reply, a terminal device, and a server. The method includes: popping up an emoji box quickly in response to an operation performed by a user on a target chat message on a chat interface to pop up the emoji box, sending an emoji selected by the user from the emoji box to a server directly as an emoji reply; and displaying the emoji entered by the user and a user label on the target chat message in accordance with instruction information returned by the server.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present disclosure is a continuation of International ApplicationNo. PCT/CN2020/073541, filed on Jan. 21, 2020, which claims priority toChinese Patent Application No. 201910102967.3, titled “EMOJI RESPONSEDISPLAY METHOD AND APPARATUS, TERMINAL DEVICE, AND SERVER”, filed byTianjin Bytedance Technology Co., Ltd., on Feb. 1, 2019.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of terminal devicetechnologies, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus fordisplaying an emoji reply, a terminal device, and a server.

BACKGROUND

Currently, while using an instant messaging tool in a terminal devicefor communication, a user can reply to a chat message on a chatinterface as desired.

When the user replies to the chat message with emoji, the user may clickan emoji button to invoke an emoji box, and select a corresponding emojifrom the emoji box, such that the corresponding emoji will be entered inan input box. Then, the user can click “Send” to send the emoji.Accordingly, emoji reply information entered by the user is displayed onthe chat interface. Here, the reply information includes a user label ofthe user and the emoji entered by the user.

However, with the above method for replying to the chat message with theemoji, when the user replies with the emoji, quite a few user operationsare required. Moreover, when there are a number of chat messages on thechat interface, and one emoji reply message entered by the user isdirectly displayed on the chat interface, it is not clear which of thechat messages the user is replying to, resulting in a lowsignal-to-noise ratio in the conversation, especially when the chatinterface is a chat interface corresponding to a group.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for displaying anemoji reply, a terminal device, and a server, capable of reducingoperations required for a user to reply to a target chat message with anemoji, making it more convenient for the user to reply to the targetchat message with the emoji. Moreover, the emoji entered by the user canbe displayed directly on the target chat message, so as to clearlyindicate on the chat interface that the emoji is the user's reply to thetarget chat message. It is thus clearer which target chat message thedisplayed emoji is intended for, such that the signal-to-noise ratio inthe conversation can be improved.

According to an embodiment in a first aspect of the present disclosure,a method for displaying an emoji reply is provided. The method includes:popping up an emoji box on a chat interface upon detecting a firstpredetermined operation performed by a first participating user on atarget chat message on the chat interface, the emoji box including a setof emoji; receiving a first emoji selected by the first participatinguser from the set of emoji, and sending an emoji reply request to aserver; receiving first instruction information returned by the serverin response to the emoji reply request; and displaying first emoji replyinformation on the target chat message in accordance with the firstinstruction information. The first emoji reply information includes thefirst emoji and a first user label corresponding to the firstparticipating user.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may furtherinclude: sending an emoji reply withdrawal request to the server upondetecting an operation performed by the first participating user on thetarget chat message to withdraw the first emoji reply; receiving secondinstruction information returned by the server in response to thewithdrawal request; and deleting the first user label, or the first userlabel and the first emoji, on the target chat message in accordance withthe second instruction information.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may furtherinclude: receiving third instruction information from the server forinstructing to display second emoji reply information on the target chatmessage, the second emoji reply information including a second emoji anda second user label corresponding to a second participating user; anddisplaying the second emoji reply information on the target chat messagein accordance with the third instruction information.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may furtherinclude, when the target chat message is a chat message sent by thefirst participating user: receiving a new message notification sent bythe server; prompting the first participating user to view the secondemoji reply information in accordance with the new message notification.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may furtherinclude, prior to displaying the second emoji reply information on thetarget chat message in accordance with the third instructioninformation: determining whether the first emoji and the second emojiare consistent with each other or not. The operation of displaying thesecond emoji reply information on the target chat message in accordancewith the third instruction information may be performed when the firstemoji and the second emoji are consistent with each other.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may furtherinclude, when the first emoji and the second emoji are not consistentwith each other: combining the first emoji reply information and thesecond emoji reply information, and displaying the combined informationon the target chat message, the combined information including the firstemoji, the first user label, and the second user label.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may furtherinclude: hiding the first user label on the target chat message anddisplaying prompt information on the target chat message, upon detectingthat a number of users replying with the first emoji exceeds apredetermined threshold.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may furtherinclude: displaying the hidden first user label on the chat interfaceupon detecting a second predetermined operation performed by the firstparticipating user on the prompt information.

With the method for displaying an emoji reply according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, an emoji box is popped up quicklyin response to an operation performed by a user on a target chat messageon a chat interface to pop up the emoji box, and an emoji selected bythe user from the emoji box is sent to a server directly as an emojireply. The emoji entered by the user and a user label are displayed onthe target chat message in accordance with instruction informationreturned by the server. In this way, the operations required for theuser to reply to the target chat message with the emoji can be reduced,making it more convenient for the user to reply to the target chatmessage with the emoji. Moreover, the emoji entered by the user can bedisplayed directly on the target chat message, so as to clearly indicateon the chat interface that the emoji is the user's reply to the targetchat message. It is thus clearer which target chat message the displayedemoji is intended for, such that the signal-to-noise ratio in theconversation can be improved.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment in asecond aspect of the present disclosure, a method of displaying an emojireply is provided. The method includes: receiving an emoji reply requestfrom a terminal device, the emoji reply request being triggered andtransmitted by the terminal device when receiving a first emoji selectedby a first participating user from a set of emoji in an emoji box, thefirst emoji box being popped up when the first participating userperforms a first predetermined operation on a target chat message on achat interface; determining each participating user in a conversation towhich the target chat message belongs based on the emoji reply request,and establishing a binding relationship among a user identifier of thefirst participating user, an emoji identifier of the first emoji, and amessage identifier of the target chat message; and sending firstinstruction information to a terminal device corresponding to eachparticipating user for instructing the corresponding terminal device todisplay first emoji reply information on the target chat message, thefirst emoji reply information including the first emoji and a first userlabel corresponding to the first participating user.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may furtherinclude: determining a third participating user sending the target chatmessage; and sending a new message notification to a terminal devicecorresponding to the third participating user, for instructing theterminal device to prompt the third participating user to view the firstemoji reply information.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may furtherinclude: receiving an emoji reply withdrawal request from the terminaldevice, the withdrawal request being triggered by the terminal devicewhen receiving an operation performed by the first participating user onthe target chat message to withdraw the first emoji reply; releasing thebinding relationship among the user identifier of the firstparticipating user, the emoji identifier of the first emoji, and themessage identifier of the target chat message in accordance with thewithdrawal request; and sending second instruction information to theterminal device corresponding to each participating user, forinstructing the corresponding terminal device to delete the first userlabel, or the first user label and the first emoji, on the target chatmessage.

With the method for displaying an emoji reply according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, upon receiving an emoji replyrequest from a terminal device of a first participating user, a serverdetermines each participating user in a conversation to which a targetchat message belongs based on the emoji reply request, and establishes abinding relationship among a user identifier of the first participatinguser, an emoji identifier of the first emoji, and a message identifierof the target chat message. The server sends first instructioninformation to a terminal device corresponding to each participatinguser, such that first emoji reply information can be displayed on thetarget chat message on a chat interface for each participating userparticipating in the conversation. In this way, by transmitting only theinstruction information to the terminal device of each participatinguser participating in the conversation, instead of transmitting amessage notification to each participating user directly, disturbance tothe participating users can be avoided. Moreover, the emoji replyinformation can be displayed on the target chat message on the chatinterface for each participating user, making it more convenient foreach participating user to view the emoji reply to the target chatmessage on the chat interface when he/she wants to view the emoji replymessage.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment in athird aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for displaying anemoji reply is provided. The apparatus includes: an emoji providingmodule configured to pop up an emoji box on a chat interface upondetecting a first predetermined operation performed by a firstparticipating user on a target chat message on the chat interface, theemoji box including a set of emoji; an emoji reply processing moduleconfigured to receive a first emoji selected by the first participatinguser from the set of emoji, and send an emoji reply request to a server;a first receiving module configured to receive first instructioninformation returned by the server in response to the emoji replyrequest; and an emoji reply displaying module configured to displayfirst emoji reply information on the target chat message in accordancewith the first instruction information. The first emoji replyinformation includes the first emoji and a first user labelcorresponding to the first participating user.

With the apparatus for displaying an emoji reply according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, an emoji box is popped up quicklyin response to an operation performed by a user on a target chat messageon a chat interface to pop up the emoji box, and an emoji selected bythe user from the emoji box is sent to a server directly as an emojireply. The emoji entered by the user and a user label are displayed onthe target chat message in accordance with instruction informationreturned by the server. In this way, the operations required for theuser to reply to the target chat message with the emoji can be reduced,making it more convenient for the user to reply to the target chatmessage with the emoji. Moreover, the emoji entered by the user can bedisplayed directly on the target chat message, so as to clearly indicateon the chat interface that the emoji is the user's reply to the targetchat message. It is thus clearer which target chat message the displayedemoji is intended for, such that the signal-to-noise ratio in theconversation can be improved.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment in afourth aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for displaying anemoji reply. The apparatus includes: a second receiving moduleconfigured to receive an emoji reply request from a terminal device, theemoji reply request being triggered and transmitted by the terminaldevice when receiving a first emoji selected by a first participatinguser from a set of emoji in an emoji box, the first emoji box beingpopped up when the first participating user performs a firstpredetermined operation on a target chat message on a chat interface; aprocessing module configured to determine each participating user in aconversation to which the target chat message belongs based on the emojireply request, and establish a binding relationship among a useridentifier of the first participating user, an emoji identifier of thefirst emoji, and a message identifier of the target chat message; and asending module configured to send first instruction information to aterminal device corresponding to each participating user for instructingthe corresponding terminal device to display first emoji replyinformation on the target chat message, the first emoji replyinformation including the first emoji and a first user labelcorresponding to the first participating user.

With the apparatus for displaying an emoji reply according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, when an emoji reply request isreceived from a terminal device of a first participating user, eachparticipating user in a conversation to which a target chat messagebelongs is determined based on the emoji reply request, and a bindingrelationship among a user identifier of the first participating user, anemoji identifier of the first emoji, and a message identifier of thetarget chat message is established. First instruction information issent to a terminal device corresponding to each participating user, suchthat first emoji reply information can be displayed on the target chatmessage on a chat interface for each participating user participating inthe conversation. In this way, by transmitting only the instructioninformation to the terminal device of each participating userparticipating in the conversation, instead of transmitting a messagenotification to each participating user directly, disturbance to theparticipating users can be avoided. Moreover, the emoji replyinformation can be displayed on the target chat message on the chatinterface for each participating user, making it more convenient foreach participating user to view the emoji reply to the target chatmessage on the chat interface when he/she wants to view the emoji replymessage.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment in afifth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal device is provided.The terminal device includes at least one processor and a memorycommunicatively connected to the at least one processor. The memorystores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and theinstructions are configured to implement the method for displaying anemoji reply according to the embodiment in the first aspect of thepresent disclosure.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment in asixth aspect of the present disclosure, a server is provided. The serverincludes at least one processor and a memory communicatively connectedto the at least one processor. The memory stores instructions executableby the at least one processor, and the instructions are configured toperform the method for displaying an emoji reply according to theembodiment in the second aspect of the present disclosure.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment in aseventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer readable storagemedium is provided. The computer readable storage medium stores computerinstructions configured to cause a computer to perform the method fordisplaying an emoji reply according to the embodiment in the first orsecond aspect of the present disclosure.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will begiven at least in part in the following description, or become apparentat least in part from the following description, or can be learned frompracticing of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become more apparent and more understandable from thefollowing description of embodiments taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to still an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a first schematic diagram showing an example of a chatinterface;

FIG. 6 is a second schematic diagram showing an example of a chatinterface;

FIG. 7 is a third schematic diagram showing an example of a chatinterface;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to still yet another embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a structure of an apparatus fordisplaying an emoji reply according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a structure of an apparatus fordisplaying an emoji reply according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a hardware structure of a terminaldevice for performing a method for displaying an emoji reply accordingto another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a hardware structure of a server forperforming a method for displaying an emoji reply according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detailbelow with reference to examples thereof as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, throughout which same or similar elements, orelements having same or similar functions, are denoted by same orsimilar reference numerals. The embodiments described below withreference to the drawings are illustrative only, and are intended toexplain, rather than limiting, the present disclosure.

A method and apparatus for displaying an emoji reply, a terminal device,and a server according to the embodiments of the present disclosure willbe described below with reference to the figures.

It is to be noted here that the method for displaying an emoji reply canbe applied on a terminal device side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the method for displaying an emoji reply includesthe following steps.

At step 101, an emoji box is popped up on a chat interface when a firstpredetermined operation performed by a first participating user on atarget chat message on the chat interface is detected.

Here, the emoji box includes a set of emoji.

Here, the set of emoji may include one or more emoji, and thisembodiment is not limited thereto.

It is to be noted here that the emoji in the emoji box may be defaultemoji provided by a software service provider, or emoji uploaded andadded by the user as desired, so as to meet the user's personalized needfor setting the emoji in the emoji box.

Here, the first predetermined operation may be a predetermined operationfor triggering the emoji box to be popped up. For example, the firstpredetermined operation may be long-pressing the target chat message, ormoving a mouse onto the target chat message.

It is to be noted here that while some examples of the firstpredetermined operation have been given above, the first predeterminedoperation may alternatively be other operations that trigger the emojibox to be popped up, and this embodiment is not limited to any specificexamples of the first predetermined operation.

As an exemplary implementation, in order to allow the user to performother functional operations (such as copy, forward, etc.) on the targetchat message, when the first predetermined operation performed by thefirst participating user on the target chat message on the chatinterface is detected, a function button bar can be further displayed onthe chat interface.

Here, the function button bar may include, but not limited to, functionbuttons such as copy, forward, favorite, multi-selection, and the like.

Here, the function button bar may be displayed at the bottom of the chatinterface or any other position, and this embodiment is not limitedthereto. It is to be noted that the first participating user can alsoperform other operations using the function buttons in the functionbutton bar as desired, and this embodiment is not limited thereto.

At step 102, a first emoji selected by the first participating user fromthe set of emoji is received, and an emoji reply request is sent to aserver.

In particular, the first emoji selected by the first participating userfrom the set of emoji is received, and a message identifier of thetarget chat message, an emoji identifier of the first emoji, and a useridentifier of the first participating user can be sent to the server inthe emoji reply request.

Correspondingly, up receiving the emoji reply request, the server canestablish a binding relationship among the user identifier of the firstparticipating user, the emoji identifier of the first emoji, and themessage identifier of the target chat message, and determine eachparticipating user in a conversion to which the target chat messagebelongs, and send first instruction information to a terminal devicecorresponding to each participating user.

Here, the first instruction information may instruct to display thefirst emoji reply information on the target chat message.

It is to be noted here that, in order to reduce disturbance caused bythe emoji box to the user's chat, as an exemplary implementation, theemoji box on the chat interface can be retracted when the first emojiselected by the first participating user from the set of emoji isreceived. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the emoji box from alwaysbeing displayed on chat interface which would otherwise causedisturbance to the user.

At step 103, first instruction information returned by the server inresponse to the emoji reply request is received.

At step 104, first emoji reply information is displayed on the targetchat message in accordance with the first instruction information. Thefirst emoji reply information includes the first emoji and a first userlabel corresponding to the first participating user.

The user label may be a user name of the first participating user or auser name of the first participating user in a group.

As an exemplary implementation, the first emoji reply information may bedisplayed in a bubble associated with the target chat message.

With the method for displaying an emoji reply according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, an emoji box is popped up quicklyin response to an operation performed by a user on a target chat messageon a chat interface to pop up the emoji box, and an emoji selected bythe user from the emoji box is sent to a server directly as an emojireply. The emoji entered by the user and a user label are displayed onthe target chat message in accordance with instruction informationreturned by the server. In this way, the operations required for theuser to reply to the target chat message with the emoji can be reduced,making it more convenient for the user to reply to the target chatmessage with the emoji. Moreover, the emoji entered by the user can bedisplayed directly on the target chat message, so as to clearly indicateon the chat interface that the emoji is the user's reply to the targetchat message. It is thus clearer which target chat message the displayedemoji is intended for, such that the signal-to-noise ratio in theconversation can be improved.

Here, based on the above embodiment, in order to meet the user'spersonalized need for replying to one target chat message with aplurality of emoji, the first participating user can perform the firstpredetermined operation again on the target chat message on the chatinterface, and select a second emoji different from the first emoji fromthe set of emoji in the popped emoji box. Correspondingly, further emojireply information replied by the first participating user will bedisplayed on the target chat message on the chat interface, whichincludes the second emoji and a second user label corresponding to thefirst participating user. In this way, the personalized needs of theuser for replying to one target chat message with a plurality of emojican be met.

Based on the above embodiment, in order to meet the user's personalizedneed for withdrawing the replied emoji, the corresponding emoji can alsobe withdrawn according to the user's withdrawal operation, and a displayeffect on the conversation interface can be adjusted according to theuser's withdrawal operation.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Based on the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the method may further includethe following steps after step 104, as shown in FIG. 2.

At step 201, an emoji reply withdrawal request is sent to the serverwhen an operation performed by the first participating user on thetarget chat message to withdraw the first emoji reply is detected.

Here, it can be appreciated that in different application scenarios, theuser can perform the operation on the target chat message to withdrawthe first emoji reply in various ways. Some examples will be given asfollows.

As an example, when it is detected that the first participating userperforms the first predetermined operation on the target chat messageagain, the emoji box is popped up again, and a second target emojiselected by the first participating user from the set of candidate emojiis received. When it is determined that the first target emoji isconsistent with the second target emoji, it can be determined that theuser performs an operation on the target chat message to withdraw thefirst emoji reply.

As another example, when it is detected that the first participatinguser clicks the first user label corresponding to the first emoji asdisplayed on the target chat message, or an area where the first userlabel is located, it can be determined that the user performs anoperation on the target chat message to withdraw the first emoji reply.

In particular, when it is detected that the first participating userperforms an operation on the target chat message to withdraw the firstemoji reply, the message identifier of the target chat message, theemoji identifier of the first emoji, and the user identifier of thefirst participating user can be sent to the server in the emoji replywithdrawal request. Correspondingly, the server can release the bindingrelationship among the user identifier of the first participating user,the emoji identifier of the first emoji, and the message identifier ofthe target chat message in accordance with the emoji reply withdrawalrequest. When the first participating user is currently the only userwho has replied with the first emoji, the server can send a secondinstruction message to the terminal device of each participating user inthe conversation to which the target chat message belongs, for deletingthe first emoji and the first user label on the target chat message.

In addition, when the server determines that there are otherparticipating users who have replied with the first emoji, it can send asecond instruction message to the terminal device of each participatinguser in the conversation to which the target chat message belongs, fordeleting the first user label in the first emoji on the target chatmessage.

At step 202, second instruction information returned by the server inresponse to the withdrawal request is received.

Here, the second instruction information may instruct to delete thefirst user label, or the first user label and the first emoji.

At step 203, the first user label, or the first user label and the firstemoji, on the target chat message is deleted in accordance with thesecond instruction information.

In this example, when the first participating user performs theoperation on the target chat message to withdraw the first emoji reply,the first participating user's reply with the first emoji can bewithdrawn, and the first user label, or the first user label and thefirst emoji, on the target chat message on the chat interface can bedeleted. As a result, it is convenient for the user to withdraw theemoji reply to the target chat message, and the user's personalized needfor withdrawing the emoji reply can be met.

Based on the above implementation, when there are a number of usersparticipating in the conversation, that is, when the chat interface is achat interface corresponding to a group, after a sending user sends thetarget chat message, each user participating in the conversation canreply to the target chat message with an emoji.

In the related art, after another participating user in the conversationreplies to the target chat message with an emoji, the server sends amessage notification to each participating user participating in theconversation. When the first participating user is not the sending userwho sent the target chat message, the first participating user alsoreceives a new message notification. An emoji reply message from theother participating user will be displayed on the chat interface of thefirst participating user, and the user will be prompted that the newmessage notification is received. In this way, many messagenotifications will be generated in the group chat interface, and eachuser will receive many message notifications. However, the messagenotifications actually only matter to the sending user of the targetchat message, but not to most of the members who reply to the targetchat message. Therefore, as an exemplary implementation, the server nolonger sends a message notification to each participating user, but onlysends instruction information instructing to display the second emojireply information on the target chat message.

Here, the chat interface corresponding to the group may be a chatinterface for a conversation having at least three participating users.

Based on the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the method may further includethe following steps, as shown in FIG. 3.

At step 301, third instruction information is received from the server.

Here, the third instruction information is for instructing to displaysecond emoji reply information on the target chat message. The secondemoji reply information includes a second emoji and a second user labelcorresponding to a second participating user.

At step 302, the second emoji reply information is displayed on thetarget chat message in accordance with the third instructioninformation.

In this example, when the third instruction information is received fromthe server, the emoji reply information replied by the secondparticipating user is displayed on the target chat message in accordancewith the third instruction information, making it more convenient for aparticipating user to view the emoji reply information replied by otherparticipating users according to the information displayed on the chatinterface.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the target chat messageis a chat message sent by the first participating user, the methodfurther includes: receiving a new message notification sent by theserver; and prompting the first participating user to view the secondemoji reply information in accordance with the new message notification.

In this example, the server can further determine the firstparticipating user as the sender of the target chat message, and inaddition to sending the second instruction information to the terminaldevice of the first participating user, the server can send a newmessage notification to the terminal device of the first participatinguser. Correspondingly, the terminal device of the first participatinguser can receive the new message notification, and prompt the firstparticipating user to view the second emoji reply information inaccordance with the new message notification. In this way, the newmessage notification is sent to the sending user of the target chatmessage to prompt the sending user to view the emoji reply information.

Here, the terminal device may prompt the first participating user in away corresponding to the new message notification. For example, the newmessage notification can be displayed on a notification bar of theterminal device.

Here, the terminal device may use any existing scheme to notify the userof the new message notification, and details thereof will be omittedhere.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides another method fordisplaying an emoji reply, which relates to a further extension andoptimization of the method shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

At step 401, third instruction information is received from the server.

Here, the third instruction information is for instructing to displaysecond emoji reply information on the target chat message. The secondemoji reply information includes a second emoji and a second user labelcorresponding to a second participating user.

At step 402, it is determined whether the first emoji and the secondemoji are consistent with each other. If not, the method proceeds withstep 403, or otherwise the method proceeds with step 404.

At step 403, the second emoji reply information is displayed on thetarget chat message in accordance with the third instructioninformation.

As an exemplary implementation manner, the first emoji reply informationand the second emoji reply information may be displayed in a bubbleassociated with the target chat message. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagramshowing an example of a chat interface including the first emoji replyinformation and the second emoji reply information. It is to be notedthat in the example shown in FIG. 5, the first emoji is a “Like” emoji,the second emoji is a “Tooth” emoji, and the user label is a user name.

At step 404, the first emoji reply information and the second emojireply information are combined, and the combined information isdisplayed on the target chat message. The combined information includesthe first emoji, the first user label, and the second user label.

As an exemplary implementation, the first emoji, the first user label,and the second user label may be displayed in a bubble associated withthe target chat message. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing anexample of a chat interface in this case. In the example shown in FIG.6, the first emoji is an “ok” emoji, and the user label is a user name.

In this example, after the terminal device of the first participatinguser receives the third instruction information containing the secondemoji, the terminal device can determine whether the first emoji and thesecond emoji are consistent with each other. If the first emoji and thesecond emoji are not consistent with each other, the second emoji andthe second user label of the second participating user are displayedbased on classification of emoji; or if the first emoji and the secondemoji are consistent with each other, the emoji reply information withthe same emoji is combined, and the combined information is displayed onthe target chat message. In this way, the emoji reply informationdisplayed on the target chat message can be managed such that the usercan know the emoji replies to the target chat message more conveniently,which facilitates the user's awareness and view of the emoji replies bythe participating users.

Based on any of the above embodiments, when there are a number of usersparticipating in the conversation, after the sender sends the targetchat message, each user participating in the conversation can reply tothe target chat message with an emoji. When the number of users replyingwith the same emoji exceeds a predetermined threshold, the first userlabel may be hidden.

In particular, after receiving the first instruction informationreturned by the server in response to the emoji reply request, when itis detected that a number of users replying with the first emoji exceedsa predetermined threshold, the first user label on the target chatmessage can be hidden, and prompt information can be displayed on thetarget chat message.

Here, the prompt information may indicate a number of hidden userlabels.

Here, the predetermined threshold may be a predetermined maximum numberof user labels that can be displayed on a target chat message for oneemoji.

In an example, the predetermined threshold may be 3, and it is assumedthat there are three user labels being displayed for Emoji 1 on a bubbleassociated with a target chat message, namely Username 1, Username 2,and Username 3. When the first participating user replies to the targetchat message with Emoji 1, displayed in a bubble associated with thetarget chat message on the chat interface may be Emoji 1, Username 1,Username 2, Username 3, and prompt information indicating one more user.FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a chat interface ina terminal device in this case. In the example shown in FIG. 7, Emoji 1is an “ok” emoji.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, whichrelates to a further extension and optimization of the method shown inFIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 8, the method includes the following steps.

At step 801, an emoji box is popped up on a chat interface when a firstpredetermined operation performed by a first participating user on atarget chat message on the chat interface is detected.

Here, the emoji box includes a set of emoji.

At step 802, a first emoji selected by the first participating user fromthe set of emoji is received, and an emoji reply request is sent to aserver.

At step 803, first instruction information returned by the server inresponse to the emoji reply request is received.

Here, the first instruction information may instruct to display firstemoji reply information on the target chat message.

Here, the first emoji reply information may include a first emoji and afirst user label corresponding to the first participating user.

At step 804, it is determined whether any other participating users havereplied to the target chat message with the first emoji. If not, themethod proceeds with step 805, or otherwise the method proceeds withstep 806.

At step 805, the first emoji reply information is displayed on thetarget chat message in accordance with the first instructioninformation.

At step 806, a number of users who have replied with the first emoji isobtained, and it is determined whether the number of users who havereplied with the first emoji exceeds a predetermined threshold. If not,the method proceeds with step 807, or otherwise the method proceeds withstep 808.

At step 807, a first user label corresponding to the first participatinguser is added following the first emoji that has been displayed on thetarget chat message, such that the first user label is displayed on thetarget chat message.

In an example, it is assumed that the predetermined threshold is 3, andUsername 1 corresponding to an emoji “ok” has been displayed in a bubbleassociated with a target chat message on a chat interface. After thefirst participating user replies to the target chat message with theemoji “ok” again, it can be determined that the number of users who havereplied with the emoji “ok” is smaller than the predetermined threshold.In this case, Username 2 corresponding to the first participating usercan be added following the first emoji that has been displayed on thetarget chat message. FIG. 6 shows an example of a chat interface in aterminal device in this case.

At step 808, the first user label on the target chat message is hidden,and prompt information is displayed on the target chat message.

With the method for displaying an emoji reply according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, after detecting that a firstparticipating user replies to a target chat message on a chat interfacewith a first emoji, a form in which emoji reply informationcorresponding to the first participating user is to be displayed on thetarget chat message can be determined based on a number of users whohave replied with the first emoji. As a result, the emoji replyinformation displayed on the target chat message can be managed based onthe number of users replying with the same emoji and displayed based onclassification of emoji. In this way, the user can know the emojireplies to the target chat message more conveniently, which facilitatesthe user's awareness and view of the emoji replies by the participatingusers.

Based on the above embodiment, in order for the user to view the hiddenuser label, the hidden first user label can be displayed on the chatinterface when a second predetermined operation performed by the firstparticipating user on the prompt information is detected.

Here, the second predetermined operation may be a predeterminedoperation to display the hidden user label. For example, the secondpredetermined operation can be single-clicking, double-clicking, orlong-pressing prompt information, and this embodiment is not limited toany specific form of the second predetermined operation.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying an emojireply according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

It is to be noted here that the method for displaying the emoji replycan be applied on a server side.

As shown in FIG. 9, the method for displaying an emoji reply includesthe following steps.

At step 901, an emoji reply request is received from a terminal device.

Here, the emoji reply request is triggered and transmitted by theterminal device when receiving a first emoji selected by a firstparticipating user from a set of emoji in an emoji box. The first emojibox is popped up when the first participating user performs a firstpredetermined operation on a target chat message on a chat interface.

At step 902, each participating user in a conversation to which thetarget chat message belongs is determined based on the emoji replyrequest, and a binding relationship among a user identifier of the firstparticipating user, an emoji identifier of the first emoji, and amessage identifier of the target chat message is established.

At step 903, first instruction information is sent to a terminal devicecorresponding to each participating user.

Here, the first instruction information is for instructing thecorresponding terminal device to display first emoji reply informationon the target chat message. The first emoji reply information includesthe first emoji and a first user label corresponding to the firstparticipating user.

With the method for displaying an emoji reply according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, upon receiving an emoji replyrequest from a terminal device of a first participating user, a serverdetermines each participating user in a conversation to which a targetchat message belongs based on the emoji reply request, and establishes abinding relationship among a user identifier of the first participatinguser, an emoji identifier of the first emoji, and a message identifierof the target chat message. The server sends first instructioninformation to a terminal device corresponding to each participatinguser, such that first emoji reply information can be displayed on thetarget chat message on a chat interface for each participating userparticipating in the conversation. In this way, by transmitting only theinstruction information to the terminal device of each participatinguser participating in the conversation, instead of transmitting amessage notification to each participating user directly, disturbance tothe participating users can be avoided. Moreover, the emoji replyinformation can be displayed on the target chat message on the chatinterface for each participating user, making it more convenient foreach participating user to view the emoji reply to the target chatmessage on the chat interface when he/she wants to view the emoji replymessage.

Based on the above embodiment, in order to prompt a participating usersending the target chat message to view the emoji reply information, asan exemplary implementation, the method may further include: determininga third participating user sending the target chat message; and sendinga new message notification to a terminal device corresponding to thethird participating user, for instructing the terminal device to promptthe third participating user to view the first emoji reply information.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, after determining eachparticipating user in the conversation to which the target chat messagebelongs and establishing the binding relationship among the useridentifier of the first participating user, the emoji identifier of thefirst emoji, and the message identifier of the target chat message, asending user who sends the target message can be determined, the firstinstruction information can be sent to terminal devices of participatingusers other than the sending user, and a new message notification can besent to the terminal device corresponding to the sending user.

The first instruction information is for instructing the correspondingterminal device to display the first emoji reply information on thetarget chat message.

Here, the new message notification is for instructing the correspondingterminal device to notify user of arrival of a new message and displaythe first emoji reply information on the target chat message.

Based on any of the above embodiments, the method may further includethe following steps, as shown in FIG. 10.

At step 1001, an emoji reply withdrawal request is received from theterminal device.

The withdrawal request is triggered by the terminal device whenreceiving an operation performed by the first participating user on thetarget chat message to withdraw the first emoji reply.

At step 1002, the binding relationship among the user identifier of thefirst participating user, the emoji identifier of the first emoji, andthe message identifier of the target chat message is released inaccordance with the withdrawal request.

At step 1003, second instruction information is sent to the terminaldevice corresponding to each participating user.

The second instruction information is for instructing the correspondingterminal device to delete the first user label, or the first user labeland the first emoji, on the target chat message

With the method for displaying the emoji reply according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, when the first participating userperforms the operation on the target chat message to withdraw the firstemoji reply, the first participating user's reply with the first emojican be withdrawn, and the first user label, or the first user label andthe first emoji, on the target chat message on the chat interface can bedeleted. As a result, it is convenient for the user to withdraw theemoji reply to the target chat message, and the user's personalized needfor withdrawing the emoji reply can be met.

An embodiment of the present disclosure also provides an apparatus fordisplaying an emoji reply.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a structure of an apparatus fordisplaying an emoji reply according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

It is to be noted here that the apparatus for displaying an emoji replymay be provided in a terminal device.

As shown in FIG. 11, the apparatus for displaying an emoji reply mayinclude an emoji providing module 110, an emoji reply processing module120, a first receiving module 130, and an emoji reply displaying module140.

The emoji providing module 110 is configured to pop up an emoji box on achat interface upon detecting a first predetermined operation performedby a first participating user on a target chat message on the chatinterface. The emoji box includes a set of emoji.

The emoji reply processing module 120 is configured to receive a firstemoji selected by the first participating user from the set of emoji,and send an emoji reply request to a server.

The first receiving module 130 is configured to receive firstinstruction information returned by the server in response to the emojireply request.

The emoji reply displaying module 140 is configured to display firstemoji reply information on the target chat message in accordance withthe first instruction information. The first emoji reply informationincludes the first emoji and a first user label corresponding to thefirst participating user.

It is to be noted that the above description of the embodiments of themethod for displaying an emoji reply is also applicable to the apparatusfor displaying an emoji reply according to this embodiment, and detailsthereof will be omitted here.

With the apparatus for displaying an emoji reply according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, an emoji box is popped up quicklyin response to an operation performed by a user on a target chat messageon a chat interface to pop up the emoji box, and an emoji selected bythe user from the emoji box is sent to a server directly as an emojireply. The emoji entered by the user and a user label are displayed onthe target chat message in accordance with instruction informationreturned by the server. In this way, the operations required for theuser to reply to the target chat message with the emoji can be reduced,making it more convenient for the user to reply to the target chatmessage with the emoji. Moreover, the emoji entered by the user can bedisplayed directly on the target chat message, so as to clearly indicateon the chat interface that the emoji is the user's reply to the targetchat message. It is thus clearer which target chat message the displayedemoji is intended for, such that the signal-to-noise ratio in theconversation can be improved.

Based on the above embodiment, in order to meet the user's need towithdraw the first emoji that was previously replied, based on the aboveembodiment of the apparatus, the apparatus may also include an emojiwithdrawing module (not shown) and a deleting module (not shown).

The emoji withdrawing module can be configured to send an emoji replywithdrawal request to the server upon detecting an operation performedby the first participating user on the target chat message to withdrawthe first emoji reply.

The first receiving module 130 can be further configured to receivesecond instruction information returned by the server in response to thewithdrawal request.

The deleting module can be configured to delete the first user label, orthe first user label and the first emoji, on the target chat message inaccordance with the second instruction information.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above first receivingmodule 130 can be further configured to receive third instructioninformation from the server for instructing to display second emojireply information on the target chat message. The second emoji replyinformation includes a second emoji and a second user labelcorresponding to a second participating user.

The emoji reply displaying module 140 can be further configured todisplay the second emoji reply information on the target chat message inaccordance with the third instruction information.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the target chat messageis a chat message sent by the first participating user, the apparatusmay further include a prompting module (not shown).

The first receiving module can be further configured to receive a newmessage notification sent by the server.

The prompting module can be configured to prompt the first participatinguser to view the second emoji reply information in accordance with thenew message notification.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, before displaying the secondemoji reply information on the target chat message in accordance withthe third instruction information, the apparatus may further include adetermining module (not shown).

The determining module may be configured to determine whether the firstemoji and the second emoji are consistent with each other or not.

The emoji reply displaying module can be further configured to displaythe second emoji reply information on the target chat message inaccordance with the third instruction information when the first emojiand the second emoji are consistent with each other.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus may furtherinclude a combining processing module (not shown).

The combining processing module can be configured to combine the firstemoji reply information and the second emoji reply information, anddisplay the combined information on the target chat message. Thecombined information includes the first emoji, the first user label, andthe second user label. In this way, the emoji reply information with thesame emoji can be combined for displaying, making it more convenient forthe user to view the users replying with the same emoji, therebyimproving the viewing experience of the user.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus may furtherinclude a hiding processing module (not shown).

The hiding processing module can be configured to hide the first userlabel on the target chat message and display prompt information on thetarget chat message, upon detecting that a number of users replying withthe first emoji exceeds a predetermined threshold. In this way, whenthere are many users replying with the same emoji, some user labels canbe hidden to further facilitate the user's viewing of the emoji replies.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to meet the user'spersonalized need for viewing the hidden user labels, the apparatus mayfurther include a display processing module configured to display thehidden first user label on the chat interface upon detecting a secondpredetermined operation performed by the first participating user on theprompt information.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a structure of an apparatus fordisplaying an emoji reply according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

It is to be noted here that the apparatus for displaying an emoji replymay be provided in a server.

As shown in FIG. 12, the apparatus for displaying an emoji reply mayinclude a second receiving module 210, a processing module 220, and asending module 230.

The second receiving module 210 is configured to receive an emoji replyrequest from a terminal device. The emoji reply request is triggered andtransmitted by the terminal device when receiving a first emoji selectedby a first participating user from a set of emoji in an emoji box. Thefirst emoji box is popped up when the first participating user performsa first predetermined operation on a target chat message on a chatinterface.

The processing module 220 is configured to determine each participatinguser in a conversation to which the target chat message belongs based onthe emoji reply request, and establish a binding relationship among auser identifier of the first participating user, an emoji identifier ofthe first emoji, and a message identifier of the target chat message.

The sending module 230 is configured to send first instructioninformation to a terminal device corresponding to each participatinguser for instructing the corresponding terminal device to display firstemoji reply information on the target chat message. The first emojireply information includes the first emoji and a first user labelcorresponding to the first participating user.

It is to be noted that the above description of the embodiments of themethod for displaying an emoji reply is also applicable to the apparatusfor displaying an emoji reply according to this embodiment, and detailsthereof will be omitted here.

With the apparatus for displaying an emoji reply according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, when an emoji reply request isreceived from a terminal device of a first participating user, eachparticipating user in a conversation to which a target chat messagebelongs is determined based on the emoji reply request, and a bindingrelationship among a user identifier of the first participating user, anemoji identifier of the first emoji, and a message identifier of thetarget chat message is established. First instruction information issent to a terminal device corresponding to each participating user, suchthat first emoji reply information can be displayed on the target chatmessage on a chat interface for each participating user participating inthe conversation. In this way, by transmitting only the instructioninformation to the terminal device of each participating userparticipating in the conversation, instead of transmitting a messagenotification to each participating user directly, disturbance to theparticipating users can be avoided. Moreover, the emoji replyinformation can be displayed on the target chat message on the chatinterface for each participating user, making it more convenient foreach participating user to view the emoji reply to the target chatmessage on the chat interface when he/she wants to view the emoji replymessage.

In order to implement the above embodiments, an embodiment of thepresent disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage mediumhaving a computer program stored thereon. The program is executed by aprocessor for performing the method for displaying an emoji replyaccording to any of the above embodiments.

Reference is now made to FIG. 13, which is a schematic diagram showing aterminal device 600 adapted to implement the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The terminal device according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure may include, but not limited to, a mobile terminalsuch as a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcast receiver,a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a tablet computer or PAD, a PortableMultimedia Player (PMP), or a vehicle-mounted terminal (e.g., avehicle-mounted navigation terminal), or a fixed terminal such as adigital TV, a desktop computer, etc. The terminal device illustrated inFIG. 13 is exemplary only, and should not be construed as limiting thefunction and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the terminal device 600 may include aprocessing device (such as a central processing unit, a graphicsprocessing unit, etc.) 601, which may perform various appropriateactions and processes in accordance with programs stored in a Read OnlyMemory (ROM) 602 or loaded from a storage device 608 into a RandomAccess Memory (RAM) 603. In the RAM 603, various programs and datarequired for operation of the terminal device 600 may also be stored.The processing device 601, the ROM 602, and the RAM 603 are connected toeach other through a bus 604. An Input/Output (I/O) interface 605 isalso connected to the bus 604.

Generally, the following devices may be connected to the I/O interface605: an input device 606 including, for example, a touch screen, a touchpad, a keyboard, a mouse, a camera, a microphone, an accelerometer, agyroscope, etc.; an output device 607 including, for example, a LiquidCrystal Display (LCD), a speaker, an oscillator, etc.; the storagedevice 608 including, for example, a magnetic tape or a hard disk; and acommunication device 609. The communication device 609 may allow theterminal device 600 to perform wireless or wired communication withother devices for data exchange. Although FIG. 13 illustrates theterminal device 600 having various devices, it can be appreciated thatit is not necessary to implement or provide all the illustrated devices.Alternatively, more or fewer devices may be implemented or provided.

In particular, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, theprocesses described above with reference to the flowcharts may beimplemented as computer software programs. For example, an embodiment ofthe present disclosure includes a computer program product, whichincludes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium. Thecomputer program includes program codes for implementing the methodillustrated in any of the flowcharts. In these embodiments, the computerprogram may be downloaded and installed from a network through thecommunication device 609, or installed from the storage device 608, orinstalled from the ROM 602. When the computer program is executed by theprocessing device 601, the above-mentioned functions defined in themethods according to the embodiments of the present disclosure areperformed.

It is to be noted that the above computer-readable medium in the presentdisclosure may be a computer-readable signal medium or acomputer-readable storage medium or any combination thereof. Thecomputer-readable storage medium may be, but not limited to, forexample, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof.More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium mayinclude, but not limited to: an electrical connection having one or morewires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory(RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable Read OnlyMemory (EPROM) or a flash memory, an optical fiber, a Compact DiscRead-Only Memory (CD-ROM), an optical memory device, a magnetic memorydevice, or any suitable combination thereof. In the present disclosure,the computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible mediumincluding or storing programs, which may be used by or used with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. However, in thepresent disclosure, the computer-readable signal medium may include adata signal propagated in a baseband or as a part of a carrier thatcarries computer-readable program codes. Such propagated data signal maybe in various forms, including but not limited to an electromagneticsignal, an optical signal, or any suitable combination thereof. Thecomputer-readable signal medium may be any computer-readable mediumother than the computer-readable storage medium, which may transmit,propagate, or transfer programs used by or used with an instructionexecution system, apparatus or device. The program codes contained onthe computer-readable medium may be transmitted via any appropriatemedium, including but not limited to electric cable, optical cable,Radio Frequency (RF), or any suitable combination thereof.

The above computer-readable medium may be included in the above terminaldevice; or may be standalone without being assembled into the terminaldevice.

The above computer-readable medium may carry one or more programs which,when executed by the terminal device, cause the terminal device to: popup an emoji box on a chat interface upon detecting a first predeterminedoperation performed by a first participating user on a target chatmessage on the chat interface, the emoji box including a set of emoji;receive a first emoji selected by the first participating user from theset of emoji, and send an emoji reply request to a server; receive firstinstruction information returned by the server in response to the emojireply request; and display first emoji reply information on the targetchat message in accordance with the first instruction information. Thefirst emoji reply information includes the first emoji and a first userlabel corresponding to the first participating user.

Alternatively, the above computer-readable medium may carry one or moreprograms which, when executed by the terminal device, cause the terminaldevice to: pop up an emoji box on a chat interface upon detecting afirst predetermined operation performed by a first participating user ona target chat message on the chat interface, the emoji box including aset of emoji; receive a first emoji selected by the first participatinguser from the set of emoji, and send an emoji reply request to a server;receive first instruction information returned by the server in responseto the emoji reply request; and display first emoji reply information onthe target chat message in accordance with the first instructioninformation. The first emoji reply information includes the first emojiand a first user label corresponding to the first participating user.

The computer program codes for implementing the operations according tothe embodiments of the present disclosure may be written in one or moreprogramming languages or any combination thereof. The programminglanguages may include object-oriented programming languages, such asJava, Smalltalk, or C++, as well as conventional procedure-orientedprogramming languages, such as “C” language or similar programminglanguages. The program codes may be executed completely on a usercomputer, partly on the user computer, as a standalone software package,partly on the user computer and partly on a remote computer, orcompletely on the remote computer or server. In a case where the remotecomputer is involved, the remote computer may be connected to the usercomputer through any types of network, including a Local Area Network(LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or to an external computer (e.g.,over the Internet by using an Internet service provider).

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a hardware structure of a server forperforming a method for displaying an emoji reply according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 14, the serverincludes: one or more processors 1010 and a memory 1020. In FIG. 14, oneprocessor 1010 is shown as an example.

The server may further include: an input device 1030 and an outputdevice 1040.

The processor 1010, the memory 1020, the input device 1030, and theoutput device 1040 may be connected with each other via a bus or in anyother way. In FIG. 14, a bus connection is shown as an example.

The memory 1020 stores instructions executable by the processor 1010,and the instructions are configured to implement the method fordisplaying an emoji reply in the embodiments according to the thirdaspect of the present disclosure.

In order to implement the above embodiments, the present disclosure alsoprovides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer programstored thereon. The program, when executed by a processor, implementsthe method for displaying an emoji reply according to the aboveembodiments.

In the present disclosure, the description with reference to the terms“one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “an example”, “a specificexample”, or “some examples”, etc., means that specific features,structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction withthe embodiment(s) or example(s) are included in at least one embodimentor example of the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, anyillustrative reference of the above terms does not necessarily refer tothe same embodiment(s) or example(s). Moreover, the specific features,structures, materials or characteristics as described can be combined inany one or more embodiments or examples as appropriate. In addition,those skilled in the art can combine and integrate different embodimentsor examples, or features thereof, as described in the presentdisclosure, provided that they do not contradict each other.

In addition, the terms “first” and “second” are only used for thepurpose of description, and should not be construed as indicating orimplying any relative importance or implicitly indicating the number ofdefined technical features. Therefore, the features defined with “first”and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of thefeatures. In the description of the present disclosure, “a plurality of”means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless specifically definedotherwise.

Any process or method described in the flowchart or described otherwiseherein can be understood as a module, segment or part of codes thatinclude one or more executable instructions for implementing steps ofspecific logical functions or processes. It can be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that the scope of the preferred embodiments of thepresent disclosure includes additional implementations where functionsmay not be performed in the order as shown or discussed, includingimplementations where the involved functions are performed substantiallyin parallel or even in a reverse order.

The logics and/or steps represented in the flowchart or describedotherwise herein can be for example considered as a list of orderedexecutable instructions for implementing logic functions, and can beembodied in any computer-readable medium that is to be used by or usedwith an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as acomputer-based system, a system including a processor, or any othersystem that can retrieve and execute instructions from an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device). For the present disclosure, a“computer-readable medium” can be any apparatus that can contain, store,communicate, propagate, or transmit a program to be used by or used withan instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specificexamples of computer-readable mediums include, as a non-exhaustive list:an electrical connector (electronic device) with one or more wirings, aportable computer disk case (magnetic devices), a Random Access Memory(RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable Read OnlyMemory (EPROM or flash memory), a fiber optic device, and a portableCompact Disk Read Only memory (CDROM). In addition, thecomputer-readable medium may even be paper or other suitable medium onwhich the program can be printed, as the program can be obtainedelectronically, e.g., by optically scanning the paper or the othermedium, and then editing, interpreting, or otherwise processing thescanning result when necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

It can be appreciated that each part of the present disclosure can beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof.In the above embodiments, a number of steps or methods can beimplemented using software or firmware stored in a memory and executedby a suitable instruction execution system. For example, whenimplemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implementedby any one or combination of the following technologies known in theart: a discrete logic circuit having logic gate circuits forimplementing logic functions on data signals, an application-specificintegrated circuit with suitable combined logic gates, a ProgrammableGate Array (PGA), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), etc.

It can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that all or part ofthe steps in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented byrelevant hardware following instructions of a program. The program canbe stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the program, whenexecuted, implements any one or combination of the steps of the methodembodiments.

In addition, the functional units in various embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be integrated into one processing module, or each unitmay be standalone physically, or two or more units may be integratedinto one module. The above integrated module can be implemented in aform of hardware or in a form of a software functional module. Whenimplemented in the form of the software function module and sold or usedas an independent product, the integrated module can also be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium.

The storage medium mentioned above may be a read only memory, a magneticdisk or an optical disc, etc. Although the embodiments of the presentdisclosure have been shown and described above, it can be appreciatedthat the above embodiments are exemplary only, and should not beconstrued as limiting the present disclosure. Various changes,modifications, replacements and variants can be made to the aboveembodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the scopeof the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying an emoji reply,comprising: popping up an emoji box on a chat interface upon detecting afirst predetermined operation performed by a first participating user ona target chat message on the chat interface, the emoji box including aset of emoji; receiving a first emoji selected by the firstparticipating user from the set of emoji, and sending an emoji replyrequest to a server; receiving first instruction information returned bythe server in response to the emoji reply request; displaying firstemoji reply information on the target chat message in accordance withthe first instruction information: when no other users have replied tothe target chat message with the first emoji, the first emoji replyinformation includes the first emoji and a first user labelcorresponding to the first participating user; when a number of userswho have replied to the target chat message with the first emoji is ator below a predetermined threshold, the first emoji reply informationincludes the first emoji and a user label for each of the number ofusers who have replied to the target chat message with the first emoji;and when a number of users who have replied to the target chat messagewith the first emoji exceeds a predetermined threshold, the first emojireply information includes the first emoji and a user label for each ofa number of users within the predetermined threshold and promptinformation to represent one or more number of users that exceed thepredetermined threshold, and at least one hidden user label is displayedon the chat interface upon detecting a second predetermined operation isperformed by a participating user on the prompt information.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: sending an emoji reply withdrawalrequest to the server upon detecting an operation performed by the firstparticipating user on the target chat message to withdraw the firstemoji reply; receiving second instruction information returned by theserver in response to the withdrawal request; and deleting the firstuser label, or the first user label and the first emoji, on the targetchat message in accordance with the second instruction information. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein deleting the first user label, or thefirst user label and the first emoji, on the target chat message inaccordance with the second instruction information further comprises:deleting the first user label and the first emoji on the target chatmessage, when the first participating user is the only user who hasreplied with the first emoji; and deleting the first user label on thetarget chat message, when there is at least one participating user,other than the first participating user, who has replied with the firstemoji.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: popping up theemoji box again upon detecting that the first participating userperforms the first predetermined operation on the target chat messageagain; receiving a second emoji selected by the first participating userfrom the set of emoji; and determining that the first participating userperforms an operation on the target chat message to withdraw the firstemoji reply when the first emoji is consistent with the second emoji. 5.The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the firstparticipating user performs an operation on the target chat message towithdraw the first emoji reply upon detecting that the firstparticipating user clicks the first user label or an area where thefirst user label is located.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining a form in which the first emoji replyinformation is to be displayed on the target chat message based on anumber of users who have replied with the first emoji.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: displaying the first emoji replyinformation in a bubble associated with the target chat message.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving third instructioninformation from the server for instructing to display second emojireply information on the target chat message, the second emoji replyinformation including a second emoji and a second user labelcorresponding to a second participating user; and displaying the secondemoji reply information on the target chat message in accordance withthe third instruction information.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising, when the target chat message is a chat message sent by thefirst participating user: receiving a new message notification sent bythe server; and prompting the first participating user to view thesecond emoji reply information in accordance with the new messagenotification.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising, prior todisplaying the second emoji reply information on the target chat messagein accordance with the third instruction information: determiningwhether the first emoji and the second emoji are consistent with eachother, wherein displaying the second emoji reply information on thetarget chat message in accordance with the third instruction informationis performed when the first emoji and the second emoji are notconsistent with each other.
 11. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising, when the first emoji and the second emoji are consistentwith each other: combining the first emoji reply information and thesecond emoji reply information, and displaying the combined emoji replyinformation on the target chat message, the combined emoji replyinformation including the first emoji, the first user label, and thesecond user label.
 12. A method of displaying an emoji reply,comprising: receiving an emoji reply request from a terminal device, theemoji reply request being triggered and transmitted by the terminaldevice when receiving a first emoji selected by a first participatinguser from a set of emoji in an emoji box, the emoji box being popped upwhen the first participating user performs a first predeterminedoperation on a target chat message on a chat interface; determining eachparticipating user in a conversation to which the target chat messagebelongs based on the emoji reply request, and establishing a bindingrelationship among a user identifier of the first participating user, anemoji identifier of the first emoji, and a message identifier of thetarget chat message; and sending first instruction information to aterminal device to display first emoji reply information on the targetchat message: when no other users have replied to the target chatmessage with the first emoji, the first emoji reply information includesthe first emoji and a first user label corresponding to the firstparticipating user; when a number of participating users who havereplied to the target chat message with the first emoji is at or below apredetermined threshold, the first emoji reply information includes thefirst emoji and a user label for each of the number of users who havereplied to the target chat message with the first emoji; and when anumber of users who have replied to the target chat message with thefirst emoji exceeds a predetermined threshold, the first emoji replyinformation includes the first emoji and a user label for each of anumber of users within the predetermined threshold and promptinformation to represent one or more number of users that exceed thepredetermined threshold, and at least one hidden user label is displayedon the chat interface upon detecting a second predetermined operation isperformed by a participating user on the prompt information.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising: determining a thirdparticipating user sending the target chat message; and sending a newmessage notification to a terminal device corresponding to the thirdparticipating user, for instructing the terminal device to prompt thethird participating user to view the first emoji reply information. 14.The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving an emoji replywithdrawal request from the terminal device, the withdrawal requestbeing triggered by the terminal device when receiving an operationperformed by the first participating user on the target chat message towithdraw the first emoji reply; releasing the binding relationship amongthe user identifier of the first participating user, the emojiidentifier of the first emoji, and the message identifier of the targetchat message in accordance with the withdrawal request; and sendingsecond instruction information to the terminal device corresponding toeach participating user, for instructing the corresponding terminaldevice to delete the first user label, or the first user label and thefirst emoji, on the target chat message.
 15. The method of claim 12,further comprising: determining the first participating user as a usersending the target chat message; and sending a new message notificationto a terminal device corresponding to the first participating user only,for prompting the user sending the target chat message to view the firstemoji reply information.
 16. An apparatus for displaying an emoji reply,comprising a processor configured to control: an emoji providing moduleconfigured to pop up an emoji box on a chat interface upon detecting afirst predetermined operation performed by a first participating user ona target chat message on the chat interface, the emoji box including aset of emoji; an emoji reply processing module configured to receive afirst emoji selected by the first participating user from the set ofemoji, and send an emoji reply request to a server; a first receivingmodule configured to receive first instruction information returned bythe server in response to the emoji reply request; and an emoji replydisplaying module configured to display first emoji reply information onthe target chat message in accordance with the first instructioninformation: when no other users have replied to the target chat messagewith the first emoji, the first emoji reply information includes thefirst emoji and a first user label corresponding to the firstparticipating user; when a number of users who have replied to thetarget chat message with the first emoji is at or below a predeterminedthreshold, the first emoji reply information includes the first emojiand a user label for each of the number of users who have replied to thetarget chat message with the first emoji; and when a number of users whohave replied to the target chat message with the first emoji exceeds apredetermined threshold, the first emoji reply information includes thefirst emoji and a user label for each of a number of users within thepredetermined threshold and prompt information to represent one or morenumber of users that exceed the predetermined threshold, and at leastone hidden user label is displayed on the chat interface upon detectinga second predetermined operation is performed by a participating user onthe prompt information.
 17. An apparatus for displaying an emoji reply,comprising a processor configured to control: a receiving moduleconfigured to receive an emoji reply request from a terminal device, theemoji reply request being triggered and transmitted by the terminaldevice when receiving a first emoji selected by a first participatinguser from a set of emoji in an emoji box, the emoji box being popped upwhen the first participating user performs a first predeterminedoperation on a target chat message on a chat interface; a processingmodule configured to determine each participating user in a conversationto which the target chat message belongs based on the emoji replyrequest, and establish a binding relationship among a user identifier ofthe first participating user, an emoji identifier of the first emoji,and a message identifier of the target chat message; and a sendingmodule configured to send first instruction information to a terminaldevice to display first emoji reply information on the target chatmessage: when no other users have replied to the target chat messagewith the first emoji, the first emoji reply information includes thefirst emoji and a first user label corresponding to the firstparticipating user; when a number of participating users who havereplied to the target chat message with the first emoji is at or below apredetermined threshold, the first emoji reply information includes thefirst emoji and a user label for each of the number of users who havereplied to the target chat message with the first emoji; and when anumber of users who have replied to the target chat message with thefirst emoji exceeds a predetermined threshold, the first emoji replyinformation includes the first emoji and a user label for each of anumber of users within the predetermined threshold and promptinformation to represent one or more number of users that exceed thepredetermined threshold, and at least one hidden user label is displayedon the chat interface upon detecting a second predetermined operation isperformed by a participating user on the prompt information.
 18. Aterminal device, comprising: at least one processor and a memorycommunicatively connected to the at least one processor, wherein thememory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, andthe instructions are configured to implement the method for displayingan emoji reply according to claim
 1. 19. A server, comprising: at leastone processor and a memory communicatively connected to the at least oneprocessor, wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the atleast one processor, and the instructions are configured to implementthe method for displaying an emoji reply according to claim
 12. 20. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing computerinstructions configured to cause a computer to implement the method fordisplaying an emoji reply according to claim
 1. 21. A non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium, storing computer instructionsconfigured to cause a computer to implement the method for displaying anemoji reply according to claim 12.